Average founders think their product is the moat. The best founders know it isn't. The story is... Because your product can be copied. Someone with deeper pockets can build the same thing, and probably better. What they can't copy: - Your story - Your insight - Your audience who already trust you... That's where I think the real moat is in 2026 and beyond. I've launched 3 companies and each one was easier than the last. Not necessarily because the products I built got better. In my opinion, it was because of the audience I built. I had people follow along with my story, and they got involved with each new business. When I started Verb, I had nothing. Every client call started cold. BySearchable, founders showed up already sold on what we do. They'd watched hours of my content before we ever spoke. Narrative and storytelling are assets that compound over time. These 6 frameworks are some of the ones I've leaned on to build them: 1️⃣ Hero's Journey A common adventure arc that mirrors every great story. Useful for: Pitch decks, brand messaging, and customer case studies. 2️⃣ The Golden Circle Lead with why you exist rather than what you sell. Useful for: Investor pitches, team alignment and brand positioning. 3️⃣ What, So What, Now What Turn boring facts into a reason to act. What = The fact. So What = Why it matters. Now What = What to do about it. Useful for: All-hands meetings, investor updates and board meetings. 4️⃣ Freytag's Pyramid Narrative arc that shows struggle, breakthrough, and resolution. Useful for: Any content that wants to emphasise emotion. 5️⃣ The Origin Story Framework Every founder has a story. Structure it like this: Before = The problem you faced. Turning Point = The moment everything changed. After = The mission you're now on. Useful for: Intros, investor pitches, and rallying your team. 6️⃣ Pixar's Story Framework Mirrors classic narrative arcs used in every Pixar film. Useful for: Any narrative that needs structure and flow. Ultimately, storytelling is how you turn attention into trust you can monetise. Leverage it for content, marketing, and beyond. It's worth it. ♻️ Repost to help founders in your network scale with stories. Follow me,Chris Donnelly, for more tips on building your business. -- I share useful frameworks like these in more depth in my newsletter, Step by Step. 📌 Join 250k+ founders and operators reading weekly here:https://lnkd.in/eUTCQTWb
A Strategy On A Page makes strategy easy to understand
if you’re starting out in strategy, keep practicing this process. if you are stuck during your research phase, use this as a guide the Strategy on a Page demonstrates your thinking, guides your research and tells the story using this format. It makes the unfamiliar, familiar. this is the exact same model I used writing strategy for brands like Disney and Uber. 👉 i’ve got a workshop where I teach you the easiest way to write strategy. If you’re interested, sign up here:https://lnkd.in/ek4KyHFm
'm challenging one of marketing's oldest ideas...the USP
For decades, marketers have searched for a Unique Selling Proposition. One message One feature One reason customers should choose you The problem is... That's not how customer preference and decisioning works. After developing positioning atV2RSIONfor over 50 clients, I've evolved the idea of differentiation to be richer in context than the simplistic USP. Differentiation isn't one thing. It's the combination of multiple dimensions, that together make your business the obvious choice for your market buyers. That's why we developed what we call your Differentiated Context. It breaks differentiation down into 6 interconnected contextual components: 1️⃣ The customer problem you're solving ↳ Start with the customer's urgent reality, not your product. 2️⃣ The unique value you create ↳ Define the value only your business can credibly deliver. 3️⃣ How that value is delivered ↳ Your capabilities, process execution and evidence are what make your promise believable and repeatable. 4️⃣ The customers making the decision ↳ Different buyers value different things. Who values your value? 5️⃣ The competitors and alternatives you're chosen against ↳ Differentiation only exists in comparison. 6️⃣ The category that frames your value ↳ The category shapes how customers interpret your business before they've even engaged with it. Miss just one of these, and differentiation starts to look weak. Because customers choose businesses that create the clearest, most compelling context for preference and choice.. This framework has become one of the core principles behind how we think about positioning atV2RSION. Which of the six do you think businesses overlook most often? ♻️ Repost to help your network unlock their growth potential. 💡 FollowPaul Evansfor actionable business and positioning advice. 🔔 Don't forget to turn on post notifications to stay up to date.
The best founders know it isn't. The story is...
Because your product can be copied.
Someone with deeper pockets can build the same thing, and probably better.
What they can't copy:
- Your story
- Your insight
- Your audience who already trust you...
That's where I think the real moat is in 2026 and beyond.
I've launched 3 companies and each one was easier than the last.
Not necessarily because the products I built got better.
In my opinion, it was because of the audience I built.
I had people follow along with my story, and they got involved with each new business.
When I started Verb, I had nothing. Every client call started cold.
By Searchable, founders showed up already sold on what we do.
They'd watched hours of my content before we ever spoke.
Narrative and storytelling are assets that compound over time.
These 6 frameworks are some of the ones I've leaned on to build them:
1️⃣ Hero's Journey
A common adventure arc that mirrors every great story.
Useful for: Pitch decks, brand messaging, and customer case studies.
2️⃣ The Golden Circle
Lead with why you exist rather than what you sell.
Useful for: Investor pitches, team alignment and brand positioning.
3️⃣ What, So What, Now What
Turn boring facts into a reason to act.
What = The fact.
So What = Why it matters.
Now What = What to do about it.
Useful for: All-hands meetings, investor updates and board meetings.
4️⃣ Freytag's Pyramid
Narrative arc that shows struggle, breakthrough, and resolution.
Useful for: Any content that wants to emphasise emotion.
5️⃣ The Origin Story Framework
Every founder has a story.
Structure it like this:
Before = The problem you faced.
Turning Point = The moment everything changed.
After = The mission you're now on.
Useful for: Intros, investor pitches, and rallying your team.
6️⃣ Pixar's Story Framework
Mirrors classic narrative arcs used in every Pixar film.
Useful for: Any narrative that needs structure and flow.
Ultimately, storytelling is how you turn attention into trust you can monetise.
Leverage it for content, marketing, and beyond. It's worth it.
♻️ Repost to help founders in your network scale with stories.
Follow me, Chris Donnelly, for more tips on building your business.
--
I share useful frameworks like these in more depth in my newsletter, Step by Step.
📌 Join 250k+ founders and operators reading weekly here: https://lnkd.in/eUTCQTWb